Recently I was fortunate to spend a vacation week at La Jolla Caribe in Catherineberg on St. John. There were six bedrooms on the vacation home’s three floors - each floor built into the hillside and each with a private deck. It was an incredible experience.

La Jolla Caribe sat on an isolated ridge with the most spectacular 180-degree panoramic ocean view you can imagine from every deck, overlooking Tortola and the other British Virgin Islands. There was only a short 5-minute drive down John-Head road to the Cinnamon Bay and Maho beaches. The home had a new hot tub & spa, also featuring the same unbelievable view. The spa was perfect for sitting with a rum punch in the evening looking out over the star-lit waters.

The house was isolated and quiet since Catherineberg is a small subdivision surrounded on all sides by the Virgin Islands National Park. The area is on the north coast of St. John in the middle of a tropical forest, about 15 minutes drive from Cruz Bay.

There was a constant breeze on the hillside, and air conditioning was never necessary.

When we were there, La Jolla Caribe had just finished being remodeled. It was freshly painted with new furniture and linens throughout, and new dishes. Wireless internet was available.

The only glitch we ran into during our week was a circuit-breaker for the dishwasher which went off several times. We understand the owner has now upgraded and fixed this circuit.

The rental agent, “Destination St. John”, was quite helpful.